Why is it that we all respect a “balls-to-the-wall” attitude in men, but strong brazen women who dare to go for the gold are shunned or shamed into affable docility? Hmmmm, do we spend too much energy trying to be nice when, despite Santa’s admonition, naughty can be...

Courage to Change (People in Recovery Blog/Hazelden Publishing) Having an active social life in which you surround yourself with friends and family is one of the most important Pleasure Principles that I write about in my book. Studies have shown that feeling a part of a family,...

Guilt-Free Highs
By Jodie Gould, author of High
By understanding that the search for pleasure and escape is a universal drive, we can acknowledge these urges while pursuing healthier forms of recreation and better ways to relieve pain, depression, or hardship. Avoiding mood-altering chemicals does not mean...

A recovering addict probably said it best, and I’m paraphrasing here: “We get high because it makes us feel better than when we are not.” This is why many of us have succumbed at some time or another to the siren call for mood-boosting substances....

All creatures naturally seek pleasure and avoid pain. People (and animals) often crave something more--to feel high. For millions of years, humans have used alcohol and other drugs, elephants have sought out fermented fruit, and cats have rolled ecstatically in catnip. But we have also...

From "Doing it Old School: The History of Getting High"
Veni Vidi Vino
After important dinners and symposiums (some of which presumably involved sumptuous banquets with castratos fanning guests with palm fronds), Romans would sometimes indulge in a game of convivium, which sounds a lot more congenial than it actually was....